Rocky Long being Rocky Long, he wasn't willing to speculate about position battles after just one day of practice. He said he wasn't impressed by anything he saw on a very hot first afternoon of fall camp.

What did you see, coach?

"I saw a bunch of guys with a lot of enthusiasm. But they got tired really fast," Long said. "I was very disappointed with the first day."

Some quick observations from Monday's opening practice. Come back Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. for a full notebook.

Notable

Quinn Kaehler seems none the worse for wear. He threw the ball with accuracy and looked comfortable and in command in the huddle. He looks fully recovered from elbow surgery to me.

Chase Favreau took some first team reps behind Kaehler, but I think that will be short lived. Nick Bawden and Brad Odeman definitely looked sharper and more accurate than Favreau, who made several poor throws. Bawden has the strongest arm of all the SDSU quarterbacks and can really sling it down the field.

SDSU has a solid group of tight ends collectively. They caught just about everything thrown their way on Monday.

Linebacker Fred Melifonwu has come a long way in a short time. The Lincoln High product was working with the first team at outside linebacker on Monday. He's filled out his rangy 6-foot-5, 235 pound frame, and has the sort of ball instincts you can't coach. Needs to work on his pass coverage though.

The Aztecs have not named any kick or punt returners yet, but Ezell Ruffin, D.J. Pumphrey, Lloyd Mills and newcomer Kameron Kelly all returned some punts on Monday. Kelly was recruited as an athlete but played quarterback in high school.

On the offensive line, it baffles me that the Aztecs can't figure out what to do with Zach Dilley. The senior swung back and forth between guard and tackle last year, and he's touted as a versatile guy who can play any position on the line. But, you'd think that based on need, and after watching him for the last couple of years, the Aztecs would have figured out where he best fits into their scheme. Not so. He repped at right tackle during Monday morning's walk through, then repped at left guard with Nico Siragusa in the afternoon.

Newcomer watch

If Day 1 was any indication of his ability, former Oceanside High receiver Mikah Holder could contend for some playing time as a true freshman. Holder (6-foot, 175 pounds) isn't huge, but he ran some very crisp routes and can separate to go get the ball.

Fred Trevillion (Brookhaven, Miss.) was recruited as an athlete, but he'll start his Aztec career at safety.

Oregon transfer quarterback Jake Rodrigues watched practice from the sideline in street clothes. He won't practice with the Aztecs until the start of fall semester.

Utah transfer Lucky Radley didn't play much for the Utes (he totaled 74 carries for 334 yards in three seasons) but he's pretty good. He's fast and can make defenders miss and he'll push Chase Price and Marcus Stamps on the field.